


Shoes man made me do this

by PeePeePooPooMan69420PlusUltra



Series: what [1]
Category: Kamen Rider - All Media Types, Kamen Rider Black, Masked Rider, Tokusatsu
Genre: Gen, Monster of the Week, Survivors Guilt, peepeepoopooman, when will Ao3 ban me from their site
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-31
Updated: 2020-01-31
Packaged: 2021-02-25 14:48:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,715
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22497850
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PeePeePooPooMan69420PlusUltra/pseuds/PeePeePooPooMan69420PlusUltra
Summary: Through a series of unfortunate events, Hiroshi Tachikawa finds his fate tied to the mysterious Kamen Rider Black.
Relationships: google docs/my inability to write, my last two braincells/kamen rider brainrot
Series: what [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2129076
Comments: 3
Kudos: 5





	Shoes man made me do this

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by the first chapter of the Kamen Rider Zo manga and the events of the Kamen Rider Black TV series

When Hiroshi Tachikawa first encountered Kamen Rider Black, he was seconds from death at the hands of half-man half-animal mutants. Tachikawa had seen these creatures twice earlier that same night. It was while he was making a clumsy escape from some kind of underground temple that he first saw them. He had been restrained and suspended by bizarre glowing wires lined up next to six other men who seemed to be suspended in the same way. They were all in a deep sleep. Tachikawa wasn’t sure why he was the only one who woke up but that would be a problem for later if he survived. Without even thinking about trying to free the other men, Tachikawa had sprinted through the temple like a madman. The cave was filled to the brim with mutants and technology that was far beyond Tachikawa’s comprehension. Had it not been for his newfound freakish strength, Tachikawa might not have been able to run fast enough to outrun them the first time. Whoever was in charge there had probably done something to his body to give it such power, but what it was Tachikawa did not know. 

The second time he encountered the mutants, they slaughtered the closest thing he had to a family. A fun night of messing with rookie bikers and elderly drivers was swiftly ended by a ferocious attack. This time, they didn’t just go after Tachikawa, they came for his bike gang as well. Tachikawa watched in horror as his comrades were killed one-by-one. He saw their innards shredded by pointed fangs, their limbs torn by hideous claws, and what did Tachikawa do? He ran. In a fear-crazed state, he sprinted with all of his might away from the bloody scene. Tachikawa ran and ran until his legs carried him to a small bar. He sat there for what could have been minutes or hours, blood pumping and mind racing. What were these mutants and who was this Kamen Rider Black that they kept rambling about? Why did they keep on calling him “fake Kamen Rider?” Why did they want him dead? These thoughts were interrupted when Sub limped in. Sub was somewhat of a little brother to Tachikawa, the weakest and smallest of the gang. It pained Tachikawa to see him bloodied and beaten like this. At least he was alive, Tachikawa thought. However, Tachikawa’s relief gave way to anxiety moments later when Sub asked:

> “Why did you run away?” 

His underling’s eyes were full of sadness, fear, and maybe a hint of anger. Tachikawa’s jaw locked and his fists clenched. Why the fuck had he ran? Before Tachikawa could respond, his third encounter with the mutants was set in motion. Tachikawa had been so consumed with his thoughts that he failed to notice the suspicious people that sat around him. They all stood in perfect synchronization with each other and fixed their gazes on Tachikawa and Sub. Like snakes shedding their skin, they molted their human skins and revealed their monstrous forms. When Tachikawa began fighting them, his arms and legs felt as if they were moving on their own. As he fought, Tachikawa felt his human skin shedding and giving way to a hideous grasshopper-humanoid form. He was no different from these monsters now, fighting wildly with fangs and claws. However, what he had in skill they made up for in sheer numbers. Whenever he downed one, two more seemed to take their place and Tachikawa was overwhelmed. His limbs went numb and soon he was being grappled by a massive horned mutant. Maybe this is what he deserved after being such a coward, it’s not like he had anyone who would miss him if he died. His gang had all perished minus Sub who probably hated him by now, rightfully so. Tachikawa went limp and exhaled. He was ready for whatever these monsters did to him next, this would be karma for his cowardice.

> “Wait! Let go of that man!” someone shouted.

Tachikawa recognized that voice. He looked up and saw a familiar dull blue jacket. It was a man that had beaten him at a bike race earlier that night, causing Tachikawa to crash his bike. Had Tachikawa not been in such a sorry state, perhaps he would have punched the man for that. The biker removed his helmet, revealing a face that was paradoxically youthful but also mature. There was no mistake that this biker was no older than 20 and yet his expression seemed hardened like a soldier’s. With swift motions, the rider removed his jacket and took on a bug-like form similar to Tachikawa’s own, but somehow he looked more streamlined and reformed. It was mystifyingly hideous and elegant. 

> “That’s him, that’s the real one! Kamen Rider Black!” one of the mutants exclaimed.

Suddenly they had lost interest in Tachikawa and they hastily let him go so they could attack this so-called Kamen Rider Black instead. The following fight was a blur. Kamen Rider Black swept through the mutant forces with ease and grace. Tachikawa’s body was tired but he managed to pick off a few stragglers, wanting to be useful in some capacity. When the fight was done, Tachikawa noticed that Sub had crawled out of the bar’s interior to watch the fight. The blood from the wounds Sub had gotten earlier pooled on the ground, and his eyes fluttered open and closed as he struggled to remain conscious. 

> “You were Kamen Rider? That’s so cool,” Sub murmured in a hoarse voice. 

And with that, the small boy collapsed. Tachikawa looked down at Sub in silence. He was no Kamen Rider, he wanted to say, he was simply a coward who wore the same skin as Kamen Rider. It was too late to tell Sub now, what a disgrace he was, having Sub’s last memories of his boss be a complete lie. Now it was just Tachikawa and the true Kamen Rider. They stared at each other in silence. Songbirds began chirping, and Tachikawa noticed the sun creeping into the sky. It had been a long night. Tachikawa’s body ached inside and out. 

> “In the forest at the base of mt. Fuji there’s a base for these guys who are probably planning to kill you,” Tachikawa finally said, breaking the silence. 

Kamen Rider said nothing and continued to gaze at Tachikawa. Perhaps Tachikawa’s injuries had affected his sight but he thought that maybe Kamen Rider looked a little sad, as if he took pity on his false counterpart.

> “Aren’t you going to go there? Mr. Real Thing?” 

Kamen Rider said nothing, he just looked at Tachikawa for another moment before mounting his bike and starting its engine. The fake Rider watched as Kamen Rider Black sped off in the direction of the sunrise. Kind of like a heroic knight, Tachikawa thought before sitting next to Sub and allowing his artificial body to finally rest.

  
  


\----------------------

Tachikawa couldn’t stand the interior of his tiny apartment anymore. Everything stunk of beer and trash. Being alone in there made him sick. He had holed himself up in there for days, maybe weeks after he lost his gang. At first, the cheap beer he had stored in his mini-fridge helped him numb his mind but soon he ran out and couldn’t bring himself to make the trip to the nearest store. The white noise of the TV and calls from his boss going to the answering machine became the background noise to his life. He wasn’t sure how long it had been since he last ventured outside, but Tachikawa started to get stir crazy. His altered body didn’t need to eat, at least not as much as a normal human, but it needed to move. At first, he just felt minor tingling sensations in his fingers but eventually, he began to feel like there was lightning shooting through his veins and tearing up his innards. He dreaded going outside for fear of having to interact with someone, but soon enough, Tachikawa hit his limit. If he stayed inside any longer he felt like he’d explode. 

So out of desperation, he turned to the one thing he knew he could do: ride his motorcycle. Tachikawa’s leisure rides started as short little outings which would end the moment he saw someone who might recognize him from his gang days. Tachikawa didn’t want anyone to know that the former fiery gang leader he once was died months ago and was replaced with a sad, ugly drunk. These rides stretched on for hours or even days once Tachikawa realized that nobody seemed to remember him anymore. They all had their own chaotic lives to deal with and a depressed lone biker was nothing special. So, Tachikawa spent every waking hour simply riding around. Sometimes he felt like driving off the ends of the earth and never returning, and sometimes he did lazy laps around his neighborhood until he could hardly keep his eyes open. He was aware that he couldn’t live like this forever, but at least they gave him something to do besides drink and wallow in his guilt. 

Things were going relatively well for Tachikawa but fate soon thrust him back into the battle between man and mutant once more. It was a warm sunny morning and Tachikawa decided to drive up to the mountains and explore the cute little towns that dotted the forested landscape. Something about seeing such simple and tight-knit communities warmed his heart a little bit. Tachikawa hadn’t been raised in such a place but part of him wished that he was, life seemed much easier there. The town he was visiting had some hot springs and an excellent bar according to the chattery older woman who lived next to him. For the first time in who knows how long, Tachikawa felt a little excited about something. As he approached his destination, Tachikawa saw what seemed to be a dead animal in the middle of the road off in the distance. It didn’t seem like anything too out of the ordinary until he got closer and realized it wasn’t an animal but rather a grown man laying face down on the asphalt. The man didn’t seem to be breathing. Hesitantly, Tachikawa flipped the man onto his back with his boot and recoiled in horror. A deep and perfectly circular stab wound cut into the front of the man’s neck and a foul-smelling mixture of green liquid and blood dripped out of the hole. Tachikawa’s heart sank. No human could have done this. 

Tachikawa backed away from the corpse towards his bike, he wasn’t going to get involved in this mess again. Before Tachikawa could flee the scene, something was sent flying past him. The object skidded across the ground and landed next to the biker’s feet. It was the head of what seemed to be a giant mosquito mixed with a human man. Moments later, Kamen Rider appeared. It was a much clumsier entrance than their first meeting, the Rider was launched from the underbrush then sent violently tumbling onto the ground. His hands seemed to be covered in greenish goop. Like moths to a lamp, four mosquito mutants jumped at Kamen Rider. They began to swarm Kamen Rider, overwhelming him with their numbers. The fake Rider froze like a deer in headlights. 

Tachikawa cursed under his breath, why the hell was he such a fucking coward? Kamen Rider probably had to deal with this shit every day, and yet he didn’t cower in fear like Tachikawa was now. Tachikawa’s cowardice and fear made him vomit a little bit of bile into his mouth. Pathetic. He thought. Pathetic, pathetic, pathetic. His thoughts raged in his head and seemed to power his legs forward, towards the mosquito mutants. Absolutely pathetic. Tachikawa could feel his body morphing into its buglike form. Why the fuck did you run? Tachikawa’s thoughts roared. He was so caught up with the voices yelling at him in his head that he didn’t notice that his fist had connected with the nearest mutant’s face. With every ounce of energy in his body, Tachikawa threw wild punches at the mutants. The fake Rider let out an anguished battle cry as he slew one of them, sending its innards flying in a spray of shining green liquid. Behind him, Kamen Rider stood up once more and jumped back into the fight. His attacks were filled with just as much rage as Tachikawa’s blows, but they were somehow far more precise and graceful. He was truly something special, Tachikawa thought. With Kamen Rider and the fake Rider working together, the remaining mutants were soon nothing but slimy green smears on the ground.

> “So it’s you again huh?”

The Rider’s words startled Tachikawa, who looked up from the carnage to meet the Rider’s eyes. He had reverted to his human form, and Tachikawa seemed to have done the same once the fight was over. The method by which Tachikawa went between his human form and mutant form was still a mystery to him, he’d have to figure that out later. 

> “I forgot to introduce myself last time we met. I’m Minami Kotaro,” Kamen Rider extended a gloved hand to Tachikawa with a polite smile on his face.
> 
> “I’m Hiroshi Tachikawa.”

Tachikawa shook Kamen Rider’s hand, the kid had a surprisingly firm grip. Looking at the Rider in his human form, Tachikawa found it hard to believe that he was Kamen Rider despite having seen him fight mere moments ago. What had happened to this boy that caused him to become Kamen Rider? That was another thing Tachikawa would have to figure out later, it probably wasn’t a story he wanted to tell at the moment. 

> “Pleased to meet you, Mr. Tachikawa. Thanks for your help back there, I rarely have help on the battlefield.”

Why Kamen Rider was being so polite to the man who almost let him get beat to death was beyond Tachikawa. All Tachikawa did was nod. 

> “Well, let’s hope that we meet again someday Mr. Tachikawa. Under better circumstances, I hope.”

With that, Kamen Rider mounted his bike and just like that night from so long ago, he left Tachikawa in the dust staring at his back. 

\-----------------------------

A month had passed since Tachikawa’s second encounter with Kamen Rider. He had gotten his old job back as a motorcycle repairman through some begging and bartering. The shop he worked at was dull and his boss was a nag but it paid well enough for Tachikawa to deal with it. When there was a lull in his day, he would often space out and let his thoughts wander. Sometimes Tachikawa caught himself thinking about his old gang. A few of the guys used to work in the shop with Tachikawa back then, it felt a lot more lively with three other rowdy men around. They would shout and laugh and fuck around until the boss threatened to fire them, which he never did but the threat got them to shut up for a bit. When these thoughts saddened him too much, Tachikawa couldn’t help but ponder about Kamen Rider’s whereabouts. Did he have a family or friends or something? Last time they met Kamen Rider mentioned not having many allies on the battlefield, so maybe he was a loner too. Poor guy. Tachikawa supposed he should start calling Kamen Rider by his actual name, but calling him Kotaro didn’t feel right. It was a little too personal for Tachikawa’s liking, they had only met twice after all. 

Every day at work, Tachikawa’s mind went back and forth between these two subject matters like the world’s most depressing ping-pong game. Part of him wanted some mutants to appear from nowhere just to liven things up. In his spare time he’d been figuring out how to properly control his artificial body, he thought that maybe if mutants came around this time he could handle them on his own. But the days dragged on and more mutants never came. Most likely they were too busy fighting the real Kamen Rider. Tachikawa would catch wind of rumors about Kamen Rider here and there around town that confirmed this theory. They were often blown way out of proportion. The most notable example of this was when some schoolboys said that Kamen Rider could set people aflame with a magical stone given to him by satan. Kamen Rider couldn’t do that but it was a rather humorous thought. Rumors like this, despite their ridiculous nature, told Tachikawa that Kamen Rider was out there getting all the mutant slaying action. Tachikawa himself, on the other hand, hadn’t been doing jack shit. After a while, he felt kind of bad that while he had similar strength to Kamen Rider, he wasn’t protecting anyone or doing anything of value. 

These feelings of uselessness and boredom overwhelmed Tachikawa to the point that on his joy rides he began looking for trouble. Sometimes he would get into fights with cocky young bikers that tried to mess with him, but soon he learned that fighting them didn’t please him like they used to. Whenever Tachikawa looked at the young men knocked out on the ground he couldn’t help but feel a little guilty. Kamen Rider probably wouldn’t approve of using such monstrous power for petty scuffles like this. Fighting human opponents was off the table, he decided. The issue with this rule was that he couldn’t find any mutants to fight instead. Tachikawa’s artificial body couldn’t be satisfied with just riding around in the mountains anymore, it needed to fight. He had learned to control his aggressive urges but they still irritated him like an itch he couldn’t quite scratch. 

The more that Tachikawa’s boredom and frustration escalated, the more he drove. He started to get in the habit of driving up to the mountains where he and Kamen Rider had fought those mosquito mutants. It took him days to find anything of value on his rides but finally, on a cool and cloudy night, he found something good. He stumbled upon an abandoned town littered with buildings that looked as if they were dropped into the woods straight from the feudal era. Despite this, they seemed to be in pristine condition, with no signs of wear from weather or combat. Tachikawa decided to leave his bike at the entrance and took his time slowly striding through the town. Aside from the sound of the rider’s footsteps, the town was eerily quiet. There were no bugs humming or animals scurrying, even the wind itself seemed to have silenced itself. Tachikawa was beginning to sweat even though the air had suddenly told cold and crisp. But he would not run, he promised himself that next time he saw the mutants he wouldn’t run. So, he pushed further into the ghost town. When Tachikawa reached the center of the town, a large temple, he wasn’t prepared for what he saw. 

Strewn about the ground were dozens of mutants, big and small. They had been torn apart in an unusually brutal fashion as if one of their own had turned on them. A chill ran up Tachikawa’s spine. He delicately stepped over and around the mutant corpses and up to the temple’s entrance. One of the massive double doors was ajar and the other door seemed to have been blasted off entirely by some sort of explosion. The fake Rider pushed into the temple where he was greeted by more mutant corpses and his real counterpart, Kamen Rider. Kamen Rider was slumped over underneath a statue of what seemed to be a giant golden snake with an apple held delicately in its mouth. He had reverted to his human form and Tachikawa couldn’t help but notice how jarringly human Kamen Rider looked in this state. Red blood trickled from wounds on his face a gash on his stomach. Even Kamen Rider bleeds red huh? Tachikawa thought. It was stupid, but for some reason, Tachikawa was surprised that even Kamen Rider could look this pathetic. He knelt closer to Kamen Rider and shook him gently to try and wake him but he got no response. Tachikawa checked for a pulse, pressing his fingers to the boy’s wrist. The warmth of Kamen Rider’s skin and the soft thump of his pulse told Tachikawa he was alive. With a grunt, the fake Rider lifted Kamen Rider’s body off the ground and carried him out of the temple. 

\--------------

Getting Kamen Rider back to his apartment was quite a hassle. Tachikawa couldn’t help but feel like he was dragging a corpse around and it wasn’t like Kamen Rider wasn’t that small either. Despite his youthful looks, he was rather tall, taller than Tachikawa. If he ran into the cops now he would be sent back to prison for sure. Through some miracle, Tachikawa was able to smuggle Kotaro into his tiny room without anyone except the neighborhood drunks noticing, but they probably wouldn’t remember that by sunrise. Finally, in the privacy of his apartment, the fake Rider did his best to treat Kamen Rider’s wounds using whatever he could find. He didn’t know a damn thing about medical care outside of the most basic of procedures but he was hesitant to take a mutant grasshopper-human hybrid to the hospital. Carefully Tachikawa wrapped Kamen Rider in bandages, placed him on his futon, and then placed a few blankets over him. While the younger biker slept, Tachikawa decided to bide the time by watching whatever crap was on this late at night. It took about an hour for Kamen Rider to wake up or however long it took for two episodes of some shitty romance shows to pass. The wounds on Kamen Rider’s face already seemed to have healed a bit but Tachikawa assumed that the gash in his stomach probably hadn’t closed up yet. The boy turned his head and looked at Tachikawa. 

> “Mr. Tachikawa?”

His voice sounded so small it frightened the fake Rider. Kamen Rider blinked a few times in confusion and looked around the room with his wide brown eyes. 

> “Ah, you saved me again huh? Thanks for taking care of me Mr. Tachikawa.”

The Rider smiled lightly, he looked like a bagworm when he was cocooned up in Tachikawa’s old brown blankets. 

> “Yeah don’t worry about it,” Tachikawa shrugged, returning his smile meekly. “I’m surprised you woke up this soon, back at the temple I thought you died or something.”
> 
> “Ah yes. That. I suppose charging into a Gorgom stronghold alone wasn’t my smartest move.” 
> 
> “Gorgom?”
> 
> “Yeah, they’re the guys who turned my brother and me into mutants and at least a dozen civilians who ended up as ‘fake Kamen Riders’ like you. All they care about is destroying humanity and they want to use their mutants to do so. Those who are useless or rebel against them are silenced, just like the other six fake Riders. They’re unforgivable.”

Tachikawa nodded, Kamen Rider’s words surprised him. He knew on some level that he was a war machine, that’s why he had the urge to fight all the time. However, he didn’t even think about what happened to the other six men who had become fake Riders like him. Even though they had never met, Tachikawa felt bad for them. They were probably guys who had a lot to live for. Why Tachikawa ended up being the only one of the seven allowed to live was still a mystery to him.

> “They told me they had my brother back at that stronghold. Somewhere deep down I knew it was a trap but I guess I’m just too eager to save him,” the boy’s expression shifted from anger to sadness, he looked as if he might cry. 
> 
> “What’s your brother’s name?” 
> 
> “Nobuhiko.”

It took Tachikawa a moment to figure out the proper response. Emotional conversations like these weren’t exactly his specialty. Even though he had been close with his gang, they were hardly the group to open up like this. 

> “You’ll get him back someday, I know you will,” he finally said. 
> 
> “I’ll make sure of it,” Kamen Rider replied with a determined nod. 

The two Riders sat in silence for another moment or two.

> “You’re a good guy Mr. Kamen Rider, if anyone can destroy Gorgom I’m sure it’s you,” Tachikawa absentmindedly spit out.
> 
> Kamen Rider laughed a little and said, “Please, just call me Kotaro.”

\------------------------------

It had been a year since Tachikawa first met Kotaro. A lot had changed in just one year. While Tachikawa had lost his gang, at least he had a friend in Kotaro. The two had become a fierce mutant-hunting duo. It seemed like whenever Tachikawa was in a tight spot, Kotaro would appear, and vice versa. Kotaro had joked that maybe it was fate or some kind of psychic connection, a remark that got a small laugh out of Tachikawa. The two also trained together and showed off their skills. Both of them figured that if they were to fight together, they should be familiar with each other’s strengths and weaknesses. Kamen Rider could indeed set monsters ablaze using his Kingstone Flash technique, Tachikawa learned. He mentally apologized to the schoolboys he had mocked earlier that year, they had been right all along. It didn’t take long for their friendship on the battlefield to bleed into their everyday lives. Whenever they had some free time, Kotaro and Tachikawa took turns sharing little tidbits of their lives. Tachikawa proudly showed off his bike shop and Kotaro introduced Tachikawa to his little sister Kyoko, and Nobuhiko’s girlfriend Katsumi. Sometimes their talks were lighthearted, but other times they talked about deeper subjects. 

The first time they touched on anything deep, it was a few days after Kotaro’s 20th birthday. Tachikawa hadn’t gotten anything Kotaro anything special since he was near broke. To make up for it he invited Kotaro over to drink beer and watch crappy romance movies which were a guilty pleasure for both of them. If he couldn’t get Kotaro anything fancy, at the very least Tachikawa could give him a good memory. Unfortunately for him, Tachikawa had let his emotions and the beer get the best of him that night. He had gotten exceptionally drunk without realizing it. Surprisingly, he was more of a lightweight than Kotaro, who didn’t seem the least bit buzzed. How that worked was beyond Tachikawa. The older biker had spilled his guts to Kotaro about his guilt over running away all those months ago, how Sub’s words had torn him apart, and how he wished he could be as courageous as Kotaro. It was embarrassing, and Tachikawa thought Kotaro would laugh at him for being such a wreck. However, to his surprise, Kotaro gave him an honest smile and an encouraging pat on the back.

> “Just because I’m Kamen Rider doesn’t mean I’m courageous all the time. The fact that the people I love could die at any time because I’m Kamen Rider, that terrifies me,” he said softly. “It’s okay to be afraid sometimes Mr. Tachikawa, what’s important is that you don’t let that fear consume you. If it does though, I’ll be there for you.”

Tachikawa wanted to crawl into a hole and die but his brain was too sluggish to move so he just sat there weeping as Kotaro hugged him. That was probably the most vulnerable Tachikawa had been in front of another person. While he’d hated opening up at the moment, he was glad that he did afterward. It made him feel like he could trust Kotaro with anything and he hoped Kotaro felt the same. They would go back and forth sharing things about themselves like this, over beer and movies, both big and small. When they couldn’t think of anything to share they were content to scout out Gorgom hideouts in the mountains together in silence until the sunset making it too dark to see. 

The two had fallen into a comfortable rhythm but the day had to come sooner or later that Kotaro would have to confront the issue of Nobuhiko. Tachikawa learned that the two were destined to fight each other to the death and that the winner of this death match would have to slaughter humanity and become the ruler of a new world. Neither he nor Kotaro wanted to think about what would happen if Nobuhiko appeared with a lust for Kotaro’s blood, but this hypothetical soon turned into reality. Nobuhiko announced himself to Japan as Shadow Moon and made his intentions clear to the entire nation via telepathic message. He was going to kill Kamen Rider Black and claim the world as his victory trophy. Along with Shadow Moon’s appearance came swarms of mutants like Japan had never seen before. They were overwhelming for even the military to handle. Meanwhile, the people were beginning to succumb to mass hysteria. Death cults had sprouted up around the nation, and people began committing suicide en masse. To Tachikawa and Kotaro, it felt like it was them against the world. The two seldom had any time to rest anymore. Dark circles started forming under Kotaro’s eyes, he hadn’t slept well in ages and neither had Tachikawa. The mutants wouldn’t stop coming, and both Tachikawa and Kotaro knew that they wouldn’t stop unless Shadow Moon fell. As much as Kotaro didn’t want to, he decided that he would fight Shadow Moon. For the sake of Japan, for the sake of the world. 

> “Who knows, maybe there’s still a little bit of Nobuhiko left in him,” Kotaro once said, a bitter smile on his face. 

Tachikawa had only nodded in response. He was much less optimistic about the situation than Kotaro but didn’t have the heart to tell him that Nobuhiko was probably lost forever. A few times Tachikawa offered to come with Kotaro to fight Shadow Moon but Kotaro just shook his head each time. This was his fight and his fight alone, and it was likely that Tachikawa wouldn’t stand a chance against Shadow Moon anyways. Tachikawa had monstrous strength but it was hardly comparable to Kamen Rider Black's who wasn’t even sure if he could kill Shadow Moon himself. At the dawn of the day that Kotaro was going to fight Shadow Moon, he and Tachikawa had risen early to watch the sunrise by the seaside. The pair sat there for a while, watching the sun paint the sky with an array of reds and yellows until Kotaro turned to his friend and broke the silence.

> “I want you to have a chance at living Mr. Tachikawa. You won’t get that here if I die, so if that happens, you have to leave Japan and live on,” Kotaro said bluntly.

Tachikawa blinked in surprise. 

> “Hey now Kotaro, don’t-”
> 
> “You’re practically a Kamen Rider Mr. Tachikawa, the world needs a Kamen Rider to rely on in times of trouble. Humans can only do so much against evils like this, and if I’m gone then that responsibility falls onto you.”

Tachikawa didn’t know if he was worthy of that title, it felt gross for him to call himself a Kamen Rider, which was a name reserved for Kotaro and Kotaro only. As if he could read Tachikawa’s mind Kotaro put his hand on Tachikawa’s shoulder and smiled. 

> “You’re more than worthy of that title Mr. Tachikawa, have faith in yourself.”

\---------------

Tachikawa didn’t see Kotaro again after that conversation. Rumors spread that Kamen Rider had been killed by Shadow Moon and his corpse was rolled into the pits of hell. Japan descended further into a state of chaos, just like Kotaro had predicted. Thousands of people fled as Shadow Moon’s mutant army expanded across the country. Even Kyoko and Katsumi fled, but Tachikawa remained. He wouldn’t give up on Kamen Rider even if the world turned its back on him. Desperately, Tachikawa searched for him day and night. The false Rider spent three long days searching the mountains, seashore, and the remnants of every town he could find. He hadn’t used his human form at all during those three days. At first, this helped him mow down countless mutants that got in the way of his hunt but soon his body hit its limit. On the third day, Tachikawa’s limbs felt like they were set ablaze and his head was pounding. 

He had wandered deep into the heart of the mountains where he and Kotaro had met that second time. This wasn’t something he intended to do, his legs just carried him there. Eventually, Tachikawa allowed himself to collapse in the middle of the road, face down. He released himself from his Riderlike form and then rolled onto his back. It took a few moments but finally, he let himself cry. As if the world was weeping with him, the sky suddenly began pouring rain. Tachikawa wasn’t sure how long he cried and heaved and screamed, but it felt like an eternity. By the time the rain stopped Tachikawa had run out of tears to shed. He just lay there on the road, considering dying in that very spot. There were worse places to die, he thought. Perhaps it was a bit odd to perish in the middle of the street but then again was there a more fitting place for a biker to die than on one of his favorite roads? With that thought, he closed his eyes and absorbed the sun’s warm rays. He would be seeing Kotaro soon, and maybe Sub if he was lucky. 

\--------------

When Tachikawa opened his eyes the first thing he saw was Kotaro, looking down at him with a concerned gaze. Tachikawa shuffled through his memories to try and make sense of what was going on but thinking too hard about it hurt his head so he gave up on that. It wasn’t just his head that hurt he realized. His muscles ached so bad that the word “sore” couldn’t even begin to describe the sensation. 

> “Am I dead?” he rasped.

Speaking made his throat feel like someone was dragging sandpaper around inside his trachea. Kotaro shook his head and smiled that contagious smile of his. Tachikawa’s pain melted away in an instant. 

> “You’re not dead Mr. Tachikawa.”
> 
> Tachikawa grinned back, “I’m glad.”


End file.
